NASHVILLE, Tenn. – According to most MMA pundits, Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields had one path to victory against UFC import Dan Henderson in their main event contest at Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Nashville” event.

Similarly, most felt Henderson had one weapon that could turn the fight in his favor.

But what would happen if both fighters were able to implement their preferred attack? That question was answered at Bridgestone Arena in the final bout of the evening’s CBS-broadcast main card, though the beauty of the performance was marred by some disgusting post-fight antics.

Henderson looked unstoppable early. The powerful right hand that was last seen destroying UFC contender Michael Bisping found its mark on Shields’ chin, and the champion looked to be out momentarily. Shields grabbed a leg as he tried to clear the cobwebs, and he somehow survived the continued onslaught from Henderson. Shields looked to regain his composure quickly, but when the pair returned to their feet, the champ’s eyes told a different story.

Back on the feet, Henderson landed a brutal uppercut that wobbled Shields again, and the question suddenly became if he would even last five minutes. But he did, and when he got off the stool for the second round, the fight would forever change.

Shields was able to work his go-to attack in the second round, and a single-leg takedown brought Henderson to the mat. No stranger to the ground, Henderson briefly worked himself into a rear-naked choke position, but Shields simply shucked off the hold and moved quickly to side control before taking full mount. It was a position he’d find again frequently.

Henderson would never again threaten from the feet for the remaining 15 minutes. A few homerun shots missed their mark, and Shields would duck under the attacks and bring the former PRIDE champion to the canvas a total of eight times – to Henderson’s one – in the fight.

In the championship rounds, Shields smartly maintained control on the ground. Working easily to mount, Shields looked for a few arm-triangle and guillotine choke attempts, but he refused to sell-out and give up mount. Henderson looked helpless, and Shields cruised to an impressive unanimous-decision win, 49-46, 49-45, 48-45.

Following the win, Shields admitted what he had been a little hesitant to say in the lead-up to the bout with what appeared to be a hired hitman.

The stats showed that Shields outstruck Henderson by an astounding 232-64 and netted 11 dominant positions. Unfortunately for the defending champion, he wasn’t done fighting for the night just yet.

Former Strikeforce middleweight challenger Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who was victorious on the evening’s preliminary card, made his way to the cage. While CBS broadcaster Gus Johnson talked with Shields, Miller piped in to ask for a rematch of their November 2009 outing.

Shields’ teammate, Gilbert Melendez stepped in between the two, and the champion then shoved Miller away. Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz, also teammates of Shields, jumped into the fracas, as well, and a full-fledged brawl broke out in the cage.

A disgusted Johnson implored for the fighters to halt their actions, reminding everyone in the cage that the fight was being aired on national TV. CBS was forced to cut away to a commercial while order was restored, and when the coverage was renewed, Shields apologized for his actions.

“I really apologize for that,” Shields said. “That’s out of my character. [Miller] got me when my emotions were running high. He came up in my face – came up talking crap. Unfortunately I pushed him. I overreacted.”

It was a shameful ending to an otherwise impressive performance from Shields (25-4-1 MMA, 3-0 SF). While his style is not always the most crowd-pleasing, his ability to nullify Henderson’s (25-8 MMA, 0-1 SF) attack was impressive.

Whether Strikeforce elects to see it again is a decision that remains to be seen.

Melendez blanks Aoki in one-sided matchup

If DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is indeed the class of Japanese mixed martial arts, then there’s no longer any doubt where the world’s best fighters reside.

In a historic matchup between opposing champions from major organizations, Strikeforce lightweight champion Melendez put his title on the line against Aoki. “El Niño” may as well have kept the belt on while he fought.

Melendez went to work from the opening round, keeping the dangerous grappler at bay while peppering him with shots to the body on the feet. Aoki threatened briefly with an arm-drag that brought Melendez to the floor, but the Strikeforce champ pulled away after a brief struggle.

The second round saw more of the same, and the pattern that would be seen for 25 minutes had been firmly established. Melendez went to the ground briefly when needed, drop a few powerful punches, and backed away to the safety of his feet. Aoki did have one “shining” moment in the frame as he pulled guard, but Melendez simply walked him to the cage and drove his shoulder into his opponent’s jaw.

The third round played out much as the first two, and with Aoki’s nose bleeding, frustration evident in his eyes, he was forced to revert to butt-scooting as a means of attack. Melendez took advantage of the position in the fourth frame and dove in with a powerful series of punches, but referee Mario Yamasaki inexplicably jumped in to halt the fight and return the fighters to their feet.

It was of little consequence.

Aoki again settled into a crowd-silencing strategy in the final frame, and in the closing minutes, with the result already sealed, Melendez did his best to finish the fight. Diving in with punches, “El Niño” looked energized and fresh. Each time Aoki fell to the floor, Melendez motioned for him to return to his feet to take more damage. Each time, Aoki did, but it was with lessening enthusiasm each time.

Aoki had one small moment in rubber guard in the final frame, but Melendez shoved him to the cage and negated the threat. As the final bell sounded, the result was clear. Melendez was awarded a 50-45 win on all three judges’ cards.

Following the win, Melendez said he hoped fans understood why he couldn’t simply attack with reckless abandon against such a capable submission artist.

“It’s a like a chess match, and I couldn’t make any mistakes,” Melendez said. “I had to wait to pull the trigger until 30 seconds left in the round.”

With four-straight wins, Melendez also said believes he now ranks among the the top-three lightweights in the world.

Lawal dominated the action early, and a single-leg takedown was successful in bringing Mousasi to the floor. From there, Lawal channeled his inner Tito Ortiz, as he was comfortable simply pounding away from his opponent’s guard. Mousasi looked comfortable on the bottom, and he evaded any serious damage. Meanwhile, Lawal appeared to be burning through his energy reserves quickly.

In the second frame, Lawal was again able to bring the fight to the floor, but it was Mousasi who appeared to take the round by offering sharp strikes from his back in the form of upkicks and hammerfists. It appeared the tide was turning as Mousasi predicted.

But a funny thing happened in the later rounds. Despite obvious fatigue, Lawal was able to continue to dictate the location of the fight – and of course, his primary choice was the ground.

Over and over again, Lawal brought Mousasi to his back. Powerful double-leg takedown scored points in the eyes of the judges, even as Mousasi stayed active from his back. Mousasi threatened with a powerful upkick in the fourth frame, but even after stalling led to a stand-up, Lawal still worked the fight back to the frame.

As the fifth round opened, it was apparent that Mousasi needed a stoppage to retain his belt. It wouldn’t come.

Lawal once again used a powerful double-leg takedown to drive Mousasi to the canvas. An illegal upkick saw a point taken from Mousasi (28-3-1 MMA, 2-1 SF), and while he escaped to his feet another time, Lawal planted his opponent firmly on his butt and the belt firmly around his own waist. After 25 minutes all three judges scored the bout 49-45 for Lawal.

Despite being outstruck by Mousasi 177-93, Lawal – his left eye nearly closed – insisted he was never in trouble.

“He was hitting me with short shots,” Lawal said. “They weren’t hurting me, but you can see the damage on my face.”

In the end, it was Lawal’s takedown attack, which outnumbered Mousasi’s 9-0, that dictated the pace and location of the fight, thus earning the new champion the belt.

Despite fighting in the state of his birth, not everyone in attendance expressed gratitude at the win. In typical “King Mo” fashion, Lawal shook off the negative thoughts.

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